Rekindled
by Craine
Summary: On our last legs, clinging to any remaining happiness by the skin of our teeth, to see light in the darkness is but a dream, unattainable. Those who understand that pain find kindred spirits among those who share it, and irreplaceable gifts among those who would save them. (Pinxie Pie!)


_**My Little Pony**_

_**Rekindled**_

_**Been mulling over this one for quite a while. Success of this one is profoundly scarce, given the rarity of the pairing, but what the Hell?! The idea is adventurous and not just a little challenging in my opinion! I'll do my best to deliver a healthy dose of addictive writing for you folks!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**NOTE: the following is a non-profit, fan-based short story. My Little Pony and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic are owned by Hasbro and Lauren Faust.**_

_**Please support the official release.**_

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Chapter 1

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The Joy of Laughter.

A healer of many aliments for the soul. Such has it been for equine, young and old, even long before anypony could remember. An infectious jolt of spontaneity that crumbles the seeds of illness and cleanses without bias.

It is also a weapon, this Joy of Laughter.

Normally, such a notion would be quite a stretch to imagine. How could something so wonderfully natural be used as a weapon: a tool that causes pain and strife? How could this, the Joy of Laughter, be used in any crass or dreadful way?

One could only _marvel_ at the possibilities when Pinkamena Diane Pie was involved.

Some recognized her as Laughter incarnate, a creature who knew nothing of hatred or woe. Others could only describe her a mystery, a force of Nature given shape and incomprehensible sentience. Less charitable sorts thought her a nuisance, a repugnant ignoramus that had escaped long-due retribution.

Opinionated as her existence may have been, this bouncy pony, this bubbly bundle of love and laughter strode for one purpose. She would launch out of bed every morning with a single desire which ignited a flame that gravitated companionship wherever she'd trot.

That purpose was to bring the Joy of Laughter.

Ponies of all shapes, sizes, and ages; there was truly no limit to this benevolent goal. She would traverse any boundary, soar to any height, and step on any territory to fulfill this need.

A lofty goal, as it were, but worth every iota of exhausted time when met with blinding smiles and cheerful laughter. It was all the reward she could ever ask. This is what she lived for.

"I can't thank you enough, Pinkie Pie! I had no idea you were so good with kids."

The irony of Cheerilee's statement caused a subtle hitch in the pink pony's infamous bounce, but happily obliged the young teacher's gratitude.

"Its a work in progress! I'm so happy you picked me, of all ponies, to host this years field trip!", she beamed.

"But of course, Pinkie Pie! I couldn't have asked for a better guide! If it were anypony else I'd be green with Envy, but-... Oh, thank you so much! Its wonderful to see the kids like this."

Sweet nectar is what it was.

Cheerilee's face-splitting smile overjoyed Pinkie Pie even more than she already was. Her body quivered as infectious energy vibrated from adoring fillies and colts that bounced beside her, giggling and squealing with innocent delight.

But hey, what were a few more smiles, right?

"Come on, everypony! First one back to Ponyville gets a smoothy~!"

Pinkie Pie's sing-song proposal sent reverberating chills of joy through the young lot. With natural spry, and intangible charisma, she had single hoofedly became the class's most cherished mare in all existence.

With deafening wails of sheer delight, the little ponies practically stampeded toward the direction of Ponyville, prompting a hasty pursuit from their violet teacher.

It was all so ingenious. All Pinkie had to do was dart passed everypony and beat them all to their destination, and when they least expected it, 'BAM!', she'd buy _each_ of them smoothies, satisfying, not one, but _all_ of the little fillies and colts! It was the perfect plan! Fool proof!

But having been proven throughout the ages, whether anypony would accept it or not, even the most flawless schemes fell prey to Attention Deficit Disorder, which, sadly, applied to Pinkie Pie.

A lot.

Wheel tracks? How long have those been there? Where are they leading? Who could have made them?

The final thought that occurred to Pinkie provoked a long and screeching gasp. What if the pony who made these tracks was a pony she didn't know? What if this pony was a weary traveler down on his/her luck and was in dire need of a friend? What this pony _had_ no friends?!

Perish the thought!

A disturbingly colorful montage of tragic thoughts plundered Pinkie Pie of her bubbly state of mind. It was too morbid for words to describe. The very fathom of somepony in the wilderness, all alone and scared with nopony else to laugh with or even talk to, incited a deep-seeded sense of duty.

Nopony would be a friendless hermit as long as Pinkamena Diane Pie was on the case!

With new adventure looming over the horizon, she threw caution to the wind and bounced along the wheel tracks, fondly giggling about how happy she would make the pony she'd never met.

Her surroundings radiated with life and lush green, a staple perspective for the earth-born pony given her strange lease of life. She was never without energy, never without love or the need to share it. And it so happened that there was a pony in dire need of that!

Oh, the possibilities!

She would perform her standard 'become instant best friends' regiment with pride and cheer. She would learn **everything** about this sad and lonely pony! They would forge a bond tempered by the very magic of Friendship, and another soul would be salvaged by Pinkie's greatest weapon, Laughter!

Jitters of unbridled excitement nearly crumbled her into another fit of giggles. With what little composure she'd retained, Pinkie Pie continued along the wheel trail with that healthy bounce of her's.

Suddenly, her heart became a quibbling mass of antsy thumps and shudders. Her predatory instinct (what little a pony could possess) kicked in, and she deemed it imperative to conceal her presence behind a hefty stone.

Contrary to unanimous belief and first-hoof experience, Pinkie Pie wasn't always guilty of scaring ponies clean out of their skeletal structure with sudden phases into existence and friendly greetings. That exact moment was a perfect example of the contradiction.

Pinkie mentally collected the scene by pieces, putting them in their proper place as she observed the puzzle before her.

Quick inspection depicted that the pony responsible for the wheel tracks was, indeed, the pony she was seeing. What Pinkie _couldn't_ grasp was why this pony seemed so familiar, yet so foreign.

Pinkie was nearly certain that she'd been graced by this presence before, and the convergence of pieces continued.

Sleek fur, radiant of soothing azure. A mane as glossy and silver as the tail swinging from her backside. And, at last, the piece that completed the puzzle, a cutie mark that embodied a life consecrated to magical ability.

The answer was right in front of her. With all pieces connected and the picture gleaming as a whole, the answer should have slapped her stupid. Yet, all she could do was stare, and continue to decipher a mystery she'd already solved.

_"She looks so... happy."_

The pony herself, and the memory she had left behind were grossly lacking in similarity.

Pinkie was sure she'd remember a beautiful smile that invoked a deep-rooted serenity. Pinkie was sure she'd remember a mare with such a compelling air about her, that one couldn't help but admire from afar.

Furthermore, Pinkie was _damn_ sure she'd remember somepony who could craft a masterpiece of optically fine-tuned genius without help!

This couldn't have been the unicorn that her friends had grown to resent. This mesmerizing creature _couldn't_ have been the magician that degenerated Ponyville into a dark, tasteless abode.

Who, in all of Equestria, _was_ this pony?

Vexed by unmanageable curiosity, Pinkie attempted something that she dangerously lacked in knowledge, skill, and ability: a formal greeting.

Eyes transfixed upon the dichotomy before her, she stepped from behind her stony cloak, and dwindled the distance between them with smooth, careful steps.

The closer she became, the clearer the puzzle did.

With every stroke of the paint brush, this pony's masterpiece gained yet another spectrum of untouchable beauty; an immaculate horizon before them both, it's essence replicated down to the very glow.

Hesitation threatened to end Pinkie's advance, but she was compelled beyond recognition to step ever closer. With every inch lost, an ounce of clarity would be gained, until finally Pinkie was incapable of denying it.

"Hiya, Trixie!"

"GREAT SCOTT!"

Whatever concentration permeated the mind was shattered in an instant.

Destabilized by a jolt of terror, the chromatic masterpiece under Trixie's craft was suddenly contorted into a nonsensical abomination that mimicked the sky crashing to Earth. A morbid silence polluted the air, and the paintbrush was snapped apart by the baby-blue aura that carried it.

The distraught unicorn shivered with overwhelming sorrow, having witnessed her work destroyed. This sorrow snapped into rage as she became increasingly aware of a maddening overhaul of words thrown in her direction.

Trixie's ears twitched with annoyance, and she turned to face the pony who was stupid enough to remain in her presence. To her amazement, the bubbly ball of pink sparked a surge of familiarity.

"Wait. Trixie recognizes you.", she observed with a squinted eye, "Yes, you're a friend of Twilight Sparkle."

"Ooh, you're good! Hey, I betcha can't remember my name! Ten seconds, GO!", Pinkie beamed with bouncy excitement.

Whether it was due to this pony's ignorance, or her inscrutable well of boundless energy, Trixie simply gawked at Pinkie Pie. Was she truly unaware of the travesty she'd just committed? Did she not know the consequences of her actions?

If she didn't, Trixie would dutifully enlighten her.

"Trixie doesn't care if your name is 'Mud'! She is disinterested by your foalish games! Now kindly remove yourself from Trixie's presence before she does something _you'll_ regret!"

The threat was only met with a burst of infuriating laughter.

"'Mud'! Oh, sweet Celestia! Can you imagine?!", Pinkie guffawed with several unlady-like snorts, "You'll _have_ to do better than that! Come on, you got four seconds left!"

A sharp clinch of the jaw swarmed Trixie's vision with dots of dander and nausea. Despite the blaring discrepancy, the showmare was almost certain that this parasite was **mocking** her. And she was in such a good mood, too...

"What are you, dense?! Trixie has no time for this nonsense!", she snorted with an upturned nose, levitating her belongings into her portable stable.

"ERR! Times up! Pinkie Pie's the name, throwin' parties is my garbanzo-I mean GAME! Shoot! Totally bombed it!", she berated herself

Much to the bouncy mare's delight, Trixie had a moment of pause. She stuttered reflexively, and threw a glance toward the dirt, stifling a mute giggle fit. Though depraved of full-on laughter, this small gesture was a victory in Pinkie's book.

Lacerating such idiocy from her persona, Trixie cleared her throat, and turned her flank to this very, _very_ unsanctioned visitor.

The silver maned magician hastily strapped herself to her wheeled stable, and bid farewell with a throaty 'harumph!'. It suddenly occurred to her, with overwhelming constriction, that venturing so close to Ponyville was quite possibly the greatest folly she had ever committed.

"Why don't you find somepony else to follow?!", she spat without so much as a glance in the bouncing parasite's direction.

"Because I found _you_, Silly!", Pinkie giggled, "And I'm not 'following' you, per se. I'm just staying near you while shadowing your every move. Totally different!"

"Yes, of course... Whatever was I thinking?", Trixie deadpanned.

"OOH! I know this one! Okay, don't tell me, don't tell me! You were thinking about kumquats! Heeheehee! I _love_ that word! kumquat! KUMQUAT!"

The acute sting of an impending migraine spurred Trixie to walk faster, hoping against hope that if she ignored the other pony, she would simply vanish; a feeble wish to those well acquainted with Reality.

The scowling magician poured insurmountable effort into retaining her sanity as she was unmercifully assaulted by Pinkie's cacophony of questions and useless observations.

Just as Trixie began wondering how Pinkie hadn't taken a single breath between sentences, she ceased in her tracks with an angry stomp, perturbed by a question that teetered on tabu boundaries.

"_That's_ none of your business!", Trixie snapped with a disarming glare.

Pinkie seemed to freeze mid-bounce when her fellow mare uttered the words. Eyes flashed of wondrous purity with hooves pressed against her face, now overtaken with curiosity.

"OHMYGOSH! Now you _**have**_ to tell me!", Pinkie gasped.

It was clear that peace became an untouchable commodity by that point. From what little Trixie could recall about this pony, since her last visit to Ponyville, she understood that no amount of effort would cleanse her presence of the pink menace. That, of course, didn't stop her from trying.

And try she did. So many times.

From one hoof step to another, Trixie continued along the dirt road, denying Pinkie Pie a remedy for her curiosity. It was a marvel, in itself, for a proud, dignified magician to be vexed beyond the point of cringe-worthy starvation.

The very thought darkened her scowl with a deep grumble from her azure belly.

"Looks like somepony's _hungry_~!", Pinkie sing-sang.

"Trixie is fine, now will you PLEASE go away before you give her an ulcer?!", Trixie implored.

Pinkie's eyes gleamed as opportunity erupted into the fray. The smile stretched across her face was so bright, it actually seemed to fade the showmare's scowl ever-so slightly.

"And let you miss out on the baked wonders of Sugarcube Corner?! NEVER! Don't worry Trixie, Pinkie Pie is at your service!", the party pony shouted with a proud hoof-pump.

"Just **what** kind of loser do you take me for?!", Trixie scoffed with yet another nostril upturn, "I, The Great and Powerful Trixie, have _plenty_ of food to sate her hunger. She doesn't need you, OR your 'service'!"

The slight deflation from Trixie's words wasn't nearly enough to sour Pinkie's mood. In fact, she was slightly relieved.

"Well color me green, and call me Apple Pie! Why didn't ya say so?! Don't stop on my account! Go ahead, eat up!", Pinkie encouraged with a toothy grin.

All too soon, the shifty showmare had realized her failure. Not only had she blatantly lied about her horde of imaginary food, but if today had indicated anything, Trixie wouldn't be rid of the party pony anytime soon.

Again, this didn't stop her from trying.

"Trixie prefers to eat alone.", she declared with strained fortitude.

"That. Is so. COOL! So do I! Well, except when I'm at parties, around friends, and/or talking to ponies I barely know. Details, details!", Pinkie chimed.

The unsightly protrusion of flesh that surely pulsated at Trixie's temple would have given a _normal_ pony the obvious hint. This fact riddled her mind with glorious, unsoiled fantasies of a world that benefited greatly from Irony's nonexistence.

"Perhaps Trixie didn't make herself clear; Trixie. Eats. Alone. As in, without annoying, attention-obsessed little ticks that can't seem to take 'no' for a-...for a... H-Hey! Where did you get that?!"

Having a tasteful work of art sullied by Pinkie's intrusion was bad enough. Being pestered by that same pony was far worse. But as Trixie stopped in her tracks, yet again, this new development nearly shattered her composure.

This parasitic ball of fluff was eating a cupcake. In _front_ of her, no less!

"Where did I get _what_?", Pinkie asked through a mouthful of delightful pastry.

"Don't play 'stupid' with Trixie, you're too good at it!", Trixie insulted with an accusing hoof, "You have no pockets to carry anything, so where did you get that cupcake?!"

Finally realizing what her fellow mare was griping about, Pinkie scarfed the rest of her treat and smiled with unrestrained mirth.

"Oh, that?! Silly, I always carry an extra snacky with me! I was gonna give it to you, but then you were all like 'Trixie has plenty of food!', and I was all like 'Really?!', and you like 'Yeah!', and I can't remember, but I think I said _something_ about Apple Pie-"

"Enough with the food! For the love of all things pure and sacred, PLEASE stop talking about food!", Trixie shouted with another grumble from her gastric extremities.

For the second time that day, Pinkie was confused.

"Gosh, Trixie. If you're so hungry, why aren't you eating anything?"

And cue the torrential perspiration.

Trixie laid another silent curse upon Irony and all of her cruelty as heat enveloped her cheeks. Her foolish, stubborn pride refused to relinquish her vulnerability, especially to a hapless, over-energetic, and absurdly clueless pollination like _Pinkie Pie_!

"Well I-... Um... T-The Great and Powerful Trixie just needs... a-a change of tastes! Yes, thats it!", she sputtered with _greatly_ strained dignity, "She grows tired of eating the same thing, and requires more variety!"

A vacant stare from the pink party animal unsettled Trixie for the briefest fraction of a second, but was soon brought relief by a bright smile.

"Oh, I get it! You need a little flavor in your life! Well, look no further; if its flavor your lookin' for, then I'm your mare!", Pinkie declared with another hoof-pump.

The drowning rush of mitigation empowered Trixie to forgive that last innuendo, for she was near certain that Pinkie was none the wiser. Thankfully, in multiple ways. The proud magician mentally congratulated herself for a job well done.

"On one teeny, weeny, itty, bitty little condition!"

Of course... Of-bucking-course.

Trixie slowly cranked her eyes open, not recalling ever closing them, and shot Pinkie Pie an empty glare. The momentary pride she felt before, withered and died, giving rise to berating doubt. She should have known better. She should have seen this coming.

"What do you want...", she grumbled.

"Well, okaaay~! But ya can't get mad at me!", Pinkie grinned.

"**_What_**. Do you **_want_**?"

Trixie's demand almost slapped the very wind, every word whisking from her mouth like a cracking whip. Yet, Pinkie Pie was unaffected, retaining her agitating smile with gusto, eager to indulge.

"An answer to my question, of course!"

"What in Equestria are you going on abo-... No... Unacceptable."

"Aw, come on, Trixie! You've got me soooo curious! Please?"

"Trixie would rather starve *stomach roars*!"

The stubborn unicorn clutched at her belly with a raspy groan. The twinge of life-zapping hunger invoked a stunning recollection of when she had her last meal. And numbers don't lie.

"Oh please, please, please, please, PLEASE?!", Pinkie besought with a gleam in her eyes that dwarfed the sun.

For all it was worth, Trixie was faced with yet another lose-lose situation.

On one hoof, she could retain her independence by denying the most generous offer she'd received for some time. On the other hoof, she could accept the offer and tell Pinkie Pie why she was painting, of all things, and not performing magical feats beyond imagination.

Even so, between the thought of a satisfied hunger and Pinkie Pie's rapturous absence... she rigorously weighed her options.

"So this... Sugarcube Corner. ", Trixie began with unhitched focus, "You say it supplies delicacies of the sweet variety?"

"Uh-huh! From chocolate-chip cookies, to strawberry short cake! Cherry pie, to macadamia truffles! Anything sweet and yummerific you can think of is _**so there**_! I LOVE Sugarcube Cor-"

"Trixie will... take your word for it.", Trixie interjected with a silencing hoof.

"Sooooo?", Pinkie cooed with fluttering eyelashes.

The lack of any other choice became numbingly obvious. The deed was done. The fight was lost.

"Very well. Trixie accepts your... _offer_?"

The azure unicorn waved her hoof at Pinkie Pie. Or rather, the shape of Pinkie Pie. A dust cloud once retaining Pinkie's shape whisked and scattered apart, rendering Trixie's jaw agape. She peered behind the dissipating cloud, a long dust trail leading straight into Ponyville.

"Don't question it, Trixie.", she mumbled to herself, collapsing on her haunches, "There's a time and a place for that."

A long, contemplative sigh escaped the sowmare's lungs as she reveled in silence. The soothing blanket of peace enlightened her to just how much that pink mare could talk. This tranquil pause marked a fine opportunity for much-needed reflection.

Though Trixie was well aware of her decision and the consequences behind them, a stabbing chill struck her chest as she double took her actions. What in the world was she thinking? Why didn't she just sneak away upon Pinkie's absence?

"Wait. I can do that right now, actually! Yes, its perfect! Th-There will be plenty of chances to exhume more food! I'll just take my leave with haste and never return to this dreadful valley again-"

"I'M BACK!"

_**"GYAH!"**_

Several distasteful curses and scornful remarks resonated within Trixie's mind upon her ten foot decent back to the ground. With what little of herself she'd regained, the unicorn whipped her attention to the source of bane, casting her hopes of discovering somepony, _other_ than Pinkie Pie, into oblivion.

Further still, was her blatant shock of just **how** the strange pony had made her reentry.

"But where did you-... How did-... When-..."

In truth, Trixie found little urgency in knowing 'how', 'where', or 'when'. What she _had_ retained was her chance for escape having been swiftly lobotomized. To, again, incur the presence of this insufferable dullard seemed inevitable. Yet, Trixie somehow -_**somehow**_- extracted an astounding reprieve from it all.

Not that the tantalizing aroma of baked goods didn't help.

"Here you go, Trixie! Just like I said!", Pinkie unfastened her new saddle bag.

As the stuffed folds collapsed to the ground, Trixie's heart soared beyond all pleasures of invigoration when it's contents were revealed. She inhaled the scent out of pure instinct, and stared back at Pinkie as though she were of Elysian regalia.

"A-All of this... is for me?", her voice descended into an innocent tone, eyes glistening with feverish hope.

"Silly! Of course it is!", Pinkie chimed in delight, "I had a HUGE breakfast this morning, so I'm good! Dig in!"

"I... I-I don't know what to-..."

Trixie's head dove into the folds of the saddle bag, muffling her sputters with scrumptious pastries.

Where any other example of such rugged enthusiasm and uncouth affectation would cringe the face and twist the stomach, Trixie's endearing smacks and satisfied whimpers brought Pinkie Pie an upsurge of glee.

There, she waited, beaming at the feasting unicorn with swollen pride.

Slowly, paralleled only by her volcanic joy, Pinkie was graced with a rather comforting revelation. One that shadowed her original plan with doubt.

_"She looks so happy..."__  
_

It was upon further speculation, and Trixie lifting herself from the ravaged pastries, did Pinkie make a final decision.

Allowing her burning lungs much-needed oxygen, the azure magician fought the urge to succumb to her satiation and collapse into a dreamless slumber. Naturally, however, she'd made an absolute mule of herself enough as it was; further embarrassment at that point was unacceptable.

Surely enough, the nagging remembrance of Trixie's required payment eradicated whatever gratitude swelled within. And the price wasn't favorable by _any_ means.

Pinkie slumped.

The look on Trixie's face robbed nigh every flicker of animation from the pink mare. Where once there stood a radiant grin, now donned a grimace of apprehension.

A face that poisoned Pinkie's soul.

"I suppose you're awaiting your reward?", Trixie's expectant voice held a mere shadow of arrogance.

"Hmmm... Nah! That's okay, Trixie! That was on the house!", Pinkie cheered, her blinding joy again inflated.

"Hmph! Typical. Well, not to disappoint you, but Trixie's had her fill, and chooses not to relay any of her-wait... What did you say?"

Even Pinkie's clear, coherent reply wasn't enough for the flabbergasted showmare. Whatever was happening, it simply did **not** compute. But Trixie was no fool. There was _always_ a loop hole, a reoccurring factor within any stretch of kindness, no matter _how_ decorated.

"N-Nonsense! You actually expect me to believe you?!"

"Whats not to believe? I always throw parties and invite everypony, free of charge! Last time I checked, at least...", Pinkie raised a thoughtful hoof to her chin, "Besides! You looked so happy, I simply _can't_ ask for anything else!"

Assuredly as the implications rose, Trixie's anger boiled, magnified by feelings that boggled the mind.

"Wha-... But-... Y-You lie! This is some kind of trick!"

Alas, the doubts remained.

Only the minute flicker of Pinkie's indomitable smile gave reason to believe the words meant anything. Trixie continued to poke and pry at her fellow mare's intentions, gaining nothing but sincere smiles and adamant promises of good will.

A stubborn defiance that duly enlightened Trixie of how much she REALLY didn't like this pink creature.

"So, I know you said you wouldn't come back to Ponyville, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends!", Pinkie cheered as though she _hadn't_ just received the verbal flank-chew of the century.

The nerve! The provocative audacity! Friends?! With this thing?!

"Me?! Friends with **you**?! Wha-... Whats the matter with you?! Why do you not censure me?!"

The vacant stare and creaking tilt of that puffy pink head only intensified the flame.

"Don't you dare mock me! Don't pretend like you forgot! The way I treated you and your friends, I-!... Why haven't you cast me aside? Why are you going out of your way to-..."

Trixie's voice lost it's edge. Slowly, sickeningly, her aggression crumble to dust when she stared into Pinkie's eyes. Those vast, dauntless orbs teaming with innocence beyond comprehension.

It was Pinkie's myriad of inscrutable virtues that spurred Trixie to curse every god, demon, and spirit known to the equine species as an unwelcome wetness stung her eyes. A weakness she felt only capable of combating through blind dander and hateful words. Yes it was much easier to hate.

So how could this... _thing_ make it so unforgivably difficult?

"When I saw you earlier today, you looked so happy.", Pinkie's features slumped once again, "A bad pony couldn't have a really, super-sweet, pretty smile like _you_ do! A-And I felt really bad for messing up your picture. I wanted to see you smile again!"

Varying wavers of determination suffocated Trixie to no end.

The very energy she used to keep her hatred for this pony strong and tall, was vanquished in an instant. Every second she squandered glaring into those beady eyes did this to her, reduced her muscles to jelly, ushered a prompt collapse unto her rump.

Avidly, Trixie searched those very eyes for an ulterior motive, for even a shred of the evidence that pointed to the contrary of Pinkie's assertions. Seconds ticked by, and her doubts slowly, but surely, receded. She sighed in thoughtful resignation.

"I've been painting for most of my life. Its... really the only other thing I've been good at beside the obvious."

By that point, Trixie was finally conscious of her missing third-person tongue. And for the first time, from a length she couldn't begin to recall, she didn't care.

By now, Pinkie's belly was bounded to the ground with curled legs, instantly captured by the answer she wanted so much to hear.

Trixie had to struggle feverishly to keep her face complacent and a quivering smile detained. Garnering admiration had become a skill, true, but the undivided, unbreakable attention given by this annoying pink mare was something of a refreshment.

A blessing, she'd dare admit.

"Its a keepsake, so to say. A dedication to-... well, let's say, its more than just a pass-time."

Just as the words left her mouth, Trixie became painfully aware of her mistake. She glanced to Pinkie anxiously, praying that the deeply pained hitch in her voice went unnoticed. Experience, as harsh a teacher as it was, cruelly reminded her to keep such hopes buried.

"Oh... This is a sad story, isn't it?", Pinkie slumped again, a gesture that Trixie started to care little for, "Well, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I think I got enough to work with!"

There it was again. That sting of frustration that spawned only from a lack of understanding. Did it really mean so much to see somepony happy? Was their truly no other reason for such a thing without the hope of something in return?

Even as those question resonated, every sharpened instinct acquired from a harsh existence protested what she prepared to do. Only the blinding, whimsical radiance of Pinkie's eyes quieted such doubts, encouraging her ever-onward.

And, even then, despite torturous efforts to stop it, a tiny smile crept upon Trixie's face as Pinkie marveled upon her collection of masterpieces, levitated from her stable via magic.

The satisfying symphony of 'ooh' and 'ahh' stirred something in the showmare. A dormant sense of purpose once thought snuffed out by a particularly irksome librarian. For some strange, unknowable reason, even as her thoughts gravitated back to not-so-happy times, her smile remained.

From any and all reasons Trixie could have depicted, it seemed to converge unto this gawking, foalish mare, drowning her artistic craft with bottomless pools of girlish charm.

"HOLY GUACAMOLE! I'm about to be brilliant!"

Then and there, Trixie's heart quaked, not only in spite of the outburst, but at the image of what horrible, unspeakable, catastrophic idea had just birthed itself within that intangible mind. So much so, that she feared to question the pink pony given the blood frosting terror of receiving an answer.

"You should totally go to Canterlot! There's big, fancy-schmacy, super, awesome art show this afternoon! With what I just saw, you'll knock 'em dead in ten seconds flat!... All rights reserved..."

Oh, she fought it. By the spirits abound, Trixie fought the hot blush that surely darkened her delicate face, avoiding those damnable eyes with a healthy dose of ground-watching. Such flattery. Such praise.

"C-Canterlot? No, I-I couldn't. That is, its not my place to-... Do you really think they're _that_ good?", her voice, yet again, slipped from haughty to innocent without her consent.

Pinkie's feverish nod may have very well put her neck in considerable danger, but she definitely made her point. This only deepened the accursed blush permeating Trixie's features. The girth of genuine praise and appreciation for natural talent was a sensation long forgotten to the magician.

She didn't exactly know how to handle it anymore.

The air thickened with contemplative silence as Trixie mentally retreated to weigh her options again. Too bad for her, she would receive no such peace.

"OOH! I have an even BETTER idea! More brillianter that my other brilliant idea!", Pinkie's smile had returned full-force, somehow brightening Trixie's own, "I'll go with you!"

Crashes, shatters, and explosions erupted in mental regurgitation, rendering Trixie's growing smile completely and utterly dead.

* * *

_**Like I said, not exactly sure on this one. I have the two remaining Chapters planned out already, but am rather apprehensive about the idea. I would be unrelentingly grateful for any constructive reviews to know if I've improved at all. It helps in ways beyond limit!**_**_ R&R please!_**

**_Craine..._**


End file.
